Recovery of the Clans: A Different Light
by KJM199914
Summary: With an unexpected enemy rising, Silverfinch, the cat who has been chosen to save them all, must do things she has never imagined doing and see things in a different light. Some cats will die, and some cats will struggle for survival. Silverfinch will have to face many challenges that will lead to new allies and new enemies, and in the end, there can only be one winner.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Allegiances**

**TreeClan**

Leader **Swiftstar - **brown tabby and white tom with blazing green eyes and a long  
bushy tail

Deputy **Hawktalon - **pale golden tom with dark hazel eyes and unusually long black  
claws  
**Apprentice, Sablepaw**

Medicine Cat **Doveflight - **pale brown she-cat with piercing amber eyes and gray patches

Warriors **Braveleap - **dark brown tabby tom with serious dark brown eyes  
**Apprentice, Birdpaw**

**Lostsoul -** jet black tom with icy cold blue eyes and a slightly crooked forepaw  
**Apprentice, Hazelpaw**

Owlblaze - dark brown tabby tom with dark hazel eyes  
**Apprentice, Lilypaw**

Ashen – dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and a graying muzzle

**Patchfur - **brown tabby and white she-cat with hazel eyes

**Thorneye - **ginger tabby tom with piercing blue eyes

**Acornfang - **small light brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes

**Timberfrost - **blue she-cat with blue eyes and a white furred forepaw

**Sandstripe - **sandy coloured tabby she-cat with grayish-blue eyes

**Foxtail - **ginger tabby she-cat with brilliant green eyes and a bushy, fox-like tail  
**Apprentice, Flamepaw**

Apprentices **Hazelpaw - **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with gentle leaf-green eyes and a long  
bushy tail

**Sablepaw - **dark ginger tom with crystal green eyes and a long bushy tail

**Birdpaw - **small white she-cat with light amber eyes

**Flamepaw - **dark ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Lilypaw - **blue and white she-cat with blue eyes

Queens **Silverfinch - **silver tabby she-cat with brown eyes

**Smokecloud - **smoky gray she-cat with pale blue eyes, mother to Braveleap's kits:  
Sharpkit and Needlekit

**Whitestream - **elderly silver tabby and white she-cat with hazel eyes and a  
graying muzzle

Elders **Kestrelnose – **pale brown tabby tom with dull amber eyes

**StreamClan**

Leader **Silverstar - **silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Deputy **Sandfur - **sandy-coloured tom with dull green eyes

Medicine Cat **Ivywing - **silver tabby and white she-cat with hazel eyes

Warriors **Hailstep - **heavy blue tom with green eyes

**Russetcloud - **white she-cat with ginger patches and amber eyes

**Brindletail - **dappled tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Grayfur - **shaggy, heavy, gray tabby tom with green eyes

**Oddface - **small black tom with a flat face and dark amber eyes

Queens **Feathertuft - **long furred gray and white she-cat with hazel eyes, mother to  
Sandfur's kits: Bluekit, Dewkit, and Birchkit

**BreezeClan**

Leader **Tigerstar - **dark brown tabby she-cat with golden eyes

Deputy **Blackfang - **black she-cat with green eyes and a bobbed tail

Medicine Cat **Nettleleaf - **black she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Warriors **Cloudfur** **- **long limbed white tom with one blue eye and one amber eye

**Pineshade - **dark brown tabby tom with piercing amber eyes

**Oakstripe – **long furred ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Iceclaw - **silver tabby and white tom with green eyes

**Shadespots - **small tortoiseshell she-cat with brilliant green eyes

**Crownose - **black and white tom with wide amber eyes

**Jaystone - **large gray tabby tom with hazel eyes

Elders **Ravenheart - **black and white she-cat with cloudy blue eyes, retired early due to  
incurable illness and failing vision

**DarkClan**

Leader **Redstar - **dark brown tom with dark hazel eyes

Deputy **Ashclaw - **gray tom with pale blue eyes

Medicine Cat **Marigoldleaf - **long furred golden tabby she-cat with warm golden eyes

Warriors **Coldscar - **black tom with white paws, a white muzzle and ice blue eyes  
**Apprentice, Fernpaw**

**Stonethroat – **gray tabby and white tom with yellow eyes

**Robinwillow - **cinnamon tortoiseshell and white she-cat with clear, brilliant  
yellow eyes

**Sorrelheart - **mottled ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Ripplethorn - **gray tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentices **Fernpaw – **pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Queens **Larkheart - **tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Ashclaw's kits:  
Wrenkit, Sparrowkit, and Twigkit

Prologue

The star-pricked sky twinkled above like the twitching of a tail over a grass-covered clearing. The clearing was surrounded by thinned out trees, their smooth, slender branches bare. The trees' roots spread towards the centre of the clearing, making the ground bumpy and difficult to walk on.  
The undergrowth thick between the thinned out trees rustled for a moment before a cream furred tabby she-cat with dark, swirled tabby stripes emerged from them and headed for the centre of the clearing where three cats shared tongues silently. Although they seemed calm, worry prickled in their pelts.  
"Swiftstar was troubled, but no other TreeClan cat needs me to walk in their dreams tonight," the cream tabby she-cat reported. Her tail curled across her paws as she sat down in front of the other three cats. She could feel their dismay as it flowed off from their pelts and bounced against her own.  
The pale grey she-cat that had been licking the fur flat between the pale brown tom's ears turned her head to fix her gaze on the tabby she-cat. "TreeClan has been stable since Silverfinch returned to them," she pointed out. "Do you think Redstar has changed, Rootpath? I still remember when I joined TreeClan and went to my first gathering. He had been a complete mouse-brain, telling Silverstar to shut her muzzle the way he had."  
Rootpath flicked her ears as tension grew between the four of them. The red and white tabby she-cat that sat on the other side of the pale brown tom pricked her ears curiously, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.  
"It is possible, Cloudwhisper," Rootpath replied. She flattened her chest fur with a few licks. "Before the greencough epidemic, there were some pretty nasty warriors that were a part of TreeClan. Once cats started to fall ill they did everything they possibly could to help me treat them. They proved that they really did have emotions just like any other cat."  
Pulling away from the pale brown tom, Cloudwhisper let out an exasperated sigh. "The forest would be so much stronger if the greencough had never spread the way it did," she meowed. Her brown eyes clouded over and without asking, Rootpath knew that she was thinking about all of the cats that had been dying then.  
"There is nothing we can do about it now," Rootpath snapped impatiently. "I have a message, but I'm not quite sure when I should share it, or whom I should share it with."  
A strong gust of wind swept over the forest, making Rootpath shudder and wrench her claws into the ground. She flattened her ears against her head and fixed her eyes on Silverpelt with a stab of unease. As she watched the stars rearrange before her she saw two ice blue eyes staring into hers. She tried to suppress a shudder as the ice blue eyes got smaller, revealing the body of a sturdy black tom. The tom yowled ferociously and a pile of dead bodies grew around him until he was no longer in sight. The pale brown tom's meow sounded through the air around her, breaking Rootpath out of her thoughts, "Rootpath?"  
"Rootpath!" the pale brown tom called again anxiously.  
The red tabby and white she-cat turned to the pale brown tom and hissed, "Can you not see she is reading the stars, Eaglefeather?"  
"He has not gotten the chance to understand StarClan's mysterious ways yet, Poppywish. Give the poor thing a break," Cloudwhisper defended Eaglefeather. She whisked her fluffy tail around to brush her tail along Eaglefeather's side, startling the pale brown tom.  
Rootpath let a frustrated hiss escape from her jaws before she stood up and looked down on her fellow StarClan members. "The stars have given me another sign," she told them. The tangy scent of blood lingered in her nose, causing Rootpath's paws to prick with worry. Battle was near and lives would not be spared.  
"Well, what is it?" Poppywish meowed, her voice taut with impatience. The old red and white tabby she-cat's tail thudded against the ground as it twitched irritably.  
Looking down at her paws, Rootpath felt herself stiffen. "With the first sign I saw a queen and her kit. The kit was small and had an ambitious glare in his eyes, as if he was about to pounce at me and shred my pelt. With the second sign I saw ice blue eyes that belonged to a yowling black cat and a pile of dead cats underneath him. I can still smell the reek of blood." She lied down and pulled one of her forepaws over her muzzle to reassure herself that no harm would come to her. "That's all I know."  
Cloudwhisper trembled anxiously as she remarked, "That does not seem right." The other three cats turned to look at her with annoyed glares. She rolled her eyes before she stood up and padded out of the clearing without another word, Poppywish rushing quickly after her.  
Once Poppywish and Cloudwhisper were out of earshot, Rootpath turned to look down at Eaglefeather. "I need to go walk in Doveflight's dreams before she awakens," she concluded before she, too, left the clearing in silence.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
So I finally finished the allegiances and the prologue. I'm quite proud of it to be honest. I spent quite a lot of time on it, and since it is shorter than a regular chapter, you will probably have to wait a week for each chapter. So every Friday I hope to post a new chapter, just to make the end of your weeks a little brighter. Please, if you like the prologue, follow, favourite, review and continue to read. This ****_is _****the third book of the Trilogy, but I will try my hardest to write it so that you do not have to read the other two books because I know people don't like series on this site. Peace out!**


	2. Chapter 1

The feeling of cool air swept through camp and made its way through the cracks in the nursery's walls, waking Silverfinch with a start. She cuddled closer to Smokecloud who slept beside her for warmth. The smoky gray queen was cuddling her two kits closer to her using her tail.  
New-leaf had arrived, meaning that all of the ice and snow had melted away. The left over water had muddied the forest and made it difficult to hunt without slipping and falling and scaring off all of the prey.  
StreamClan had expressed their concerns about new-leaf the moon before at the gathering. Silverstar had predicted that a new-leaf full of storms would follow the harsh leaf-bare, and Silverfinch believed that her prediction was correct. The last couple of days the weather had been nothing but violent rain, lightning, and thunder. Kestrelnose, TreeClan's only elder, had moved to the nursery as a result of his den being at the bottom of a hill, causing the water to puddle inside.  
Silverfinch lifted her head to barely peer out the den entrance. The sky was a dark blue, but lighter than the dark of night. Silverpelt had disappeared, meaning that dawn and quite possibly a storm would be arriving soon.  
After laying her head on her paws and waiting for a while, all of the cats within camp began to stir. Silverfinch could hear Hawktalon commanding orders from outside the nursery and the dawn patrol that had gathered planned their strategies. Smokecloud, Whitestream, and Kestrelnose had awoken as well. Smokecloud groomed Sharpkit and Needlekit while Whitestream and Kestrelnose shared tongues silently, murmuring inaudible words.  
Sharpkit and Needlekit let out loud squeals as they tussled about by their mother's tail. Smokecloud did not look impressed, as she had her ears pressed flat against her head with her claws wrenched into the feathery lining of her nest.  
"Will you two cut that out?" Smokecloud hissed, batting her paw towards them threateningly with sheathed claws. "The entire Clan just woke up. No cat has time for two reckless kits, especially when their as big and destructive as you two!" She unsnagged her plumy tail from underneath them before she wrapped it around herself and let out a yawn.  
Sharpkit's piercing yellow eyes fixed themselves on her mother in annoyance. The pale blue she-kit then bounced her way out of Smokecloud's nest and towards Silverfinch. Her soft, round, white paws skidded along the damp nursery floor.  
"Your kits are taking awfully long, Silverfinch," Needlekit complained from beside Smokecloud who shot him a frustrated glare. His tail lashed impatiently behind him and he spun around to catch it with his paws. His expression clouded with disappointment as his tail slipped away from his reach and continued to wave in the air.  
Bolting over excitedly with her back arched and her tail fluffed up, Sharpkit pounced on Needlekit playfully and began to nip at his ear. Needlekit let out a surprised squeak before he kicked his sister off from him and bolted off across the den. He ran into Kestrelnose before he fell back with a bump. The old light brown tabby tom strained his neck to look at Needlekit with narrowed eyes.  
"You two kits are too big to be playing in the nursery!" Kestrelnose muttered as he jabbed Needlekit in his side with his paw. The dark gray almost black tabby kit was scared stiff and his pelt prickled with fear.  
Silverfinch stood up, her belly falling underneath her and knocking her off balance. Carrying kits is not easy… Silverfinch had realized once she had finally moved into the nursery. The stirring of her kits inside of her always made her feel like she had a stomach ache and some days her joints were so inflamed that she could not move.  
"Needlekit and Sharpkit," she called. "Why don't you two come relax with me in my nest? I'll happily tell you about my adventures in DarkClan camp." She remembered her time with DarkClan like it was yesterday even though it had been about two moons ago.  
Sharpkit's ears pricked curiously before both she and her brother scrambled clumsily over to Silverfinch. The two of them lied over Silverfinch's forepaws as she lied down and stared up at her with wide, round eyes, youth and excitement swimming in them.  
Glancing over at Smokecloud to find the queen grooming herself, oblivious to what was happening around her, Silverfinch took a deep breath and adjusted her position so that she was lying down on her comfortable side.  
"One day, when I went to help DarkClan, Redstar ambushed me and took me in as his prisoner," she began, the memory of being pinned down in front of all of DarkClan by Redstar churned in her mind. She was belly tight with embarrassment as she realized that the two kits probably thought she was weak for not fighting herself free.  
Before she could continue, Sharpkit's delicate voice sounded, "Why would you help DarkClan? Are they not bad?"  
"Yeah," Needlekit piped up. "Are you not way stronger than Redstar anyway? You could have fought off his entire Clan!"  
Silverfinch shook her head and let a warm purr rumble up from her throat. "I'm only strong when I'm motivated to be," she reminded him as she swept her tail around to tickle Needlekit's belly. The young tom kicked his hind paws into her belly as he squealed excitedly and rolled around in the nest, nearly crushing his sister.  
Wincing in pain, Silverfinch twisted her head around and rasped her tongue over her belly to calm her unborn kits. For a moment she swore she could hear them mewing uncomfortably inside of her, their mews sharp with anger and pain.  
"Needlekit, you hurt her!" Sharpkit mewed worriedly before she kneaded her paws against Silverfinch's belly in attempt to make her feel better. Discomfort only shot through her though, making her jerk away from the two kits.  
Smokecloud's tail was lashing now as her eyes narrowed into fine slits at her two kits. She stood up and padded towards them to grab them by their scruff before she returned to her nest and wrapped her fluffy tail around them. "You two trouble makers will have to be very calm inside the nursery from here on out," she cautioned. "When Silverfinch's kits come, you can't be disturbing them every few heartbeats."  
Needlekit and Sharpkit shrunk down beside each other and apologized in unison. Then, Smokecloud lifted her tail and allowed them to walk out from the nest.  
Sharpkit was the first to speak as they both warily approached Silverfinch again. "We did not mean to hurt you or your kits, Silverfinch. I guess we are both just really excited to meet them so we can play with them. Just the two of us in the nursery can get… boring."  
Silverfinch purred before she strained her neck forward to lick them in between their ears. She glanced up once more at Smokecloud to find that the smoky gray she-cat had curled back up to sleep. Clearly she did not care much for the sunlight that filtered into the den through the cracks in the walls.  
"My kits will not be old enough to play with until they are at least a moon old or so," she reminded them.  
Another early new-leaf breeze swept its way into the nursery and ruffled Silverfinch's fur. Only when her fur ruffled did she remember how it felt to run with a patrol in the open forest. She closed her eyes and imagined herself bolting alongside Lostsoul, Hawktalon, or perhaps Owlblaze. She could feel the undergrowth tugging at her fur and could smell the scents of plump squirrels and mice that crawled along busily around her.  
Needlekit lied down beside Silverfinch and pressed up against her for warmth. He jumped back carefully with a squeal when her kits kicked inside of her, harder than they ever had before, making Silverfinch wince. "Did I hurt them?" he asked curiously, his eyes glittering with worry. Silverfinch shook her head with a purr.  
Sharpkit threw her paws over the lining of Silverfinch's nest and lied awkwardly over it so that one half of her body was in the nest while the other half was spread out on the den floor. Her ears pricked as she realized something and stammered, "B-but, we will be apprentices when the kits are a moon old!"  
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Silverfinch assured them, "You can visit the nursery every so often in between training to play with my kits if you would like. But you will have to be gentle with them since they will not be as strong and as skilled as you two."  
The two kits let out frustrated moans before Needlekit asked, "When will the kits be born?" His ears flicked curiously as he stared up at her with lively amber eyes. She was beginning to grow exhausted and did not feel like answering any more questions. She was relieved when Smokecloud called her two kits over and told them to go play outside. They listened to their mother, Whitestream and Kestrelnose leaving the den after them. Silverfinch guessed that they were getting some fresh-kill.  
"Thank you, Smokecloud," Silverfinch breathed. She groomed her belly with a few licks again before she continued, "I'm not sure I can handle sharing a den with them for much longer. I'll be glad when they're apprentices and able to release all of their energy with training."  
Smokecloud nodded her agreement before her soft blue eyes began to glow with pity. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
Silverfinch let out a sigh and released her claws from their sheath as she stretched out across her nest. "The kits should have been born days ago," she confessed sadly. "I'm afraid that something may be wrong."  
The smoky gray queen fixed her gaze on the nursery entrance as Kestrelnose and Whitestream emerged through the bracken while holding pieces of fresh-kill in their jaws. By the fresh scents Silverfinch guessed that the dawn patrol had recently returned from a good hunt.  
Quickly looking at Silverfinch, Smokecloud reassured her, "Not all litters come on their expected dates." With that the conversation was over and the four of them happily shared the fresh-kill while sharing tongues.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
I really hope this works this time. The last two times I posted this, something went terribly wrong and everything was all messed up. I'm really, really sorry to all of those who read this and could not understand any of it. :c I hope you continue to read, review, follow and favourite. Peace out guys...**


	3. Chapter 2

The sun was at its highest peak in the sky as it beamed down over the camp and dried up the water that remained from the past storms. Surprisingly enough, the storm that Silverfinch had predicted hadn't come and now the skies remained open and clear. The sun provided warmth for all the cats, allowing them to spend their sunhigh happily out in the open together.  
By Swiftstar's den, Swiftstar and Hawktalon were organizing two patrols. The first patrol consisted of Lostsoul, Braveleap, Hazelpaw and Birdpaw. Silverfinch knew that Lostsoul and Braveleap had sorted their differences out over the past few moons, but she still could not imagine the two of them leaving camp on a patrol together without shredding each other's tails. The second patrol was made up of Foxtail, Hawktalon, Flamepaw, and Sablepaw. Silverfinch was glad to see such strong cats grouped together into a patrol.  
Silverfinch turned her gaze over to the apprentices as the patrols dispersed. Flamepaw and Hazelpaw stood side by side, chatting words that were not within ear shot for her to hear. Although Flamepaw was younger than Hazelpaw and Sablepaw and was the same age as Birdpaw and Lilypaw, he was still larger than the four of them, Silverfinch realized. She guessed that he had grown earlier than the rest of them, resulting in him looming over them whenever they all stood together as a group. Across from Flamepaw and Hazelpaw, Birdpaw, Sablepaw, and Lilypaw lied together, sharing tongues.  
Stretching herself over the only dry ground in camp, Silverfinch let out an enormous yawn and flexed her claws so that they pierced into the earth below her. She watched as the apprentices moved across camp together, chatting excitedly.  
"I'm going out on patrol!" Birdpaw boasted. Her light amber eyes flashed excitedly as she spun around to face the rest of the apprentices.  
Standing in place before he could bump into Birdpaw, Sablepaw flicked his ears and twitched his whiskers in amusement. "So am I. It's too bad we are not on the same patrol."  
Hazelpaw nudged her brother playfully without speaking. She was not the type of cat to talk much. She was shyer than her brother and never spoke up unless she was asked to. Once, when Lostsoul had asked Birdpaw to change the moss in the nursery, she had not argued when most apprentices her age normally would have.  
Sablepaw narrowed his eyes at Hazelpaw, anger prickling from his pelt. Silverfinch winced, only relieved when Sablepaw shook his anger off. She turned her gaze over to Lilypaw, the smallest of the apprentices who looked no older than a five moon kit even next to Birdpaw who was also small herself.  
"I'm going to go visit Smokecloud and her kits," Birdpaw told Lilypaw as she scuffed the earth awkwardly with her paw. The small white she-cat then spun around and bounded off towards the nursery.  
Hazelpaw let out a purr before she mewed after Birdpaw, "See you on the patrol!" Her voice was as smooth and sweet as milk.  
Silverfinch heard Foxtail and Lostsoul calling for their patrols moments later by the camp entrance. Sablepaw, Hazelpaw, and Flamepaw trotted towards the camp entrance as Braveleap and Hawktalon joined Foxtail and Lostsoul. Not long after, Birdpaw shot out from the nursery with wide, round eyes and ran over to join them at lightning speed.  
Standing up and letting her belly fall underneath her, Silverfinch padded towards them before they could leave camp.  
Lostsoul turned to face her with worried eyes. "Is something wrong?" he fretted.  
Silverfinch shook her head and pressed against to reassure him. He was always looking over her; whenever something seemed to be wrong, his meow would sharpen with guilt and he'd do anything he possibly could for her. Not only was he always ready to serve his Clan, but her as well, she had learned over the past couple of moons.  
"I was wondering if I could go on patrol with you," she soothed him. "A queen needs to stretch her legs every so often too you know."  
Stiffening, Lostsoul shook his head. "You are close to kitting, Silverfinch. You should not be going out on patrols."  
Lifting her chin defiantly, Silverfinch shifted her paws in agitation. The mud beneath her paws seeped in between her claws and her lip curled in disgust. She realized that she would rather stay in a drier part of camp, but she could not back down now. She needed to stand up for herself and show Lostsoul that she was independent and would not be told what to do so easily.  
"Have you forgotten that I was supposed to kit a quarter of a moon ago?" Silverfinch remarked, the remark followed by an amused purr. "If I have not come close to kitting for a quarter of a moon, I'm sure the kits will wait another day."  
Lostsoul's expression clouded before he put in, "Or the kits will be persuaded to be borne by the odds being much more likely." His jet black fur was prickling along his spine and down his tail uneasily and frustration pricked from his paws.  
The high-pitched cries of a bird caught Silverfinch's attention. She thought for a moment before she realized that the fresh-kill pile had consisted mostly of birds since new-leaf had arrived and brought plenty of rain with it. Turning her head to look at Braveleap who stood beside her, she meowed, "But I'm the one cat that can hunt birds on your patrol."  
"She does have a point, Lostsoul," Braveleap pointed out with a flick of his tail.  
Rolling his eyes as a sign of giving in, Lostsoul led them through the camp entrance. The grass that was flattened underneath their paws with every paw step was springy and wet, causing Silverfinch to grimace uncomfortably. She was what StreamClan preferred to call a drypaw, even though she could handle the feeling of water against her paws or pelt more than others could.  
They padded up a steep hill that ran along the border between TreeClan and StreamClan. The top of the hill was drier than the bottom, probably because the water never stayed on top. They found themselves going down the other side of the hill that was open and free of trees. They continued along the border between TreeClan and DarkClan. The scent of twoleg monsters lurked heavily in the air and stunk at their noses, making them wrinkle them in disgust.  
Braveleap flattened his ears against his head and let out a hiss. "I will never get used to the stench of twoleg monsters no matter how many times I pass by the thunderpath." He fixed his gaze on Birdpaw who was staring out over the thunderpath with wide eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked her with an amused purr.  
Jumping, the small white she-cat meowed, "Is DarkClan really better than it was when you were an apprentice, Braveleap?" She swivelled her ears around to listen for his response as she continued to stare over into DarkClan territory, but Braveleap remained silent.  
Pricking her ears and opening her jaws to listen and scent for prey, Silverfinch flicked her tail in a way of telling Braveleap and Birdpaw to be quiet. She crouched down in the thick undergrowth that weaved around the oak trees on the bottom of the hill and the rest of the patrol did as well. After a few moments of listening and watching around them, Silverfinch spotted a starling stretching its broad black wings up on one of the lower branches of an oak tree. Its bright yellow beak stood out against the new, green oak leaves.  
"That starling is the size of your head, Lostsoul," Hazelpaw mewed sweetly with a purr as she crouched down silently beside her mentor. Although the tom shot her a glare, his eyes were sparkling with amusement.  
Silverfinch stalked forward silently, the pads of her paws brushing against the cool ground as she pursued her prey. She made her way to the trunk of a tree that stood close to the tree that the starling rested in before she clawed her way up to one of the branches that stood a few tail lengths up above the lowest branch. She bunched her haunches before she sprung out of from her current tree and just barely managed to catch one of the branches of the other tree. Swinging herself, she climbed steadily onto the branch and looked down at the starling that, thank StarClan, hadn't noticed her.  
Still crouching silently in the undergrowth below, Lostsoul stared up at her with wide, narrowed ice blue eyes. He seemed to be expecting something to happen, but Silverfinch couldn't quite put her paw on what it was.  
Bunching her haunches again, Silverfinch prepared herself to pounce down at the starling, thankful that it had perched on a thick branch. She narrowed her eyes at the starling and breathed calmly, readying herself. She leapt with powerful hind legs and outstretched her front legs so that she would land with balance. She felt a sharp pain in her belly mid-air and twisted herself around in reaction, resulting in her landing with a thud against the thick branch. For a moment she could have sworn that her belly had pressed so hard against the branch that she could feel bile rising up her throat.  
"Silverfinch!" Lostsoul yowled as he stood up and out of the undergrowth, scaring the starling into flying away with a warning call.  
Silverfinch clawed at the branch as she struggled to scramble to her paws. There was another sharp pain in her belly and she flinched. She lost the place in which her paws were and she slipped off of the branch before she hit the ground. Pain rippled through her body and she let out a shrill wail of pain. Heartbeats later, the rest of her patrol was at her side with a mixture of worried murmurs.  
Hazelpaw was the first to speak up with her usual, quiet tone. "Is she going to be okay?" She let out a gasp when Silverfinch let out another wail.  
"She's going to scare away all of the prey!" Birdpaw complained.  
Shooting Braveleap's apprentice a frustrated look, Lostsoul commanded, "Go fetch Doveflight." The white she-cat did as she was told and bolted off towards camp.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
I would just like to thank everybody who has reviewed so far! Every review motivates me to continue writing for you guys, so please continue to review. Your reviews don't have to be long or detailed, just a simple 'good job, keep writing' will always help c: But anyway, what do you think will happen in the next chapter? Please continue to read, review and if you haven't already, favourite and follow.**

**Edit: Sorry, something went wrong so I had to repost this :p It's all good now.**


	4. Chapter 3

Lostsoul, Braveleap, Hazelpaw, and Silverfinch waited impatiently underneath the large oak tree that Silverfinch had fallen out of. While hissing in pain, Silverfinch observed her surroundings and realized that this was the same tree that she had originally fallen from. She remembered when Lostsoul had leapt underneath her to save her life, breaking his paw in the process. Back then though, the two of them had been young, foolish apprentices. Now, they were grown warriors who could handle a fall like hers.

Pressing against Lostsoul to reassure him, Braveleap hissed, "Every cat needs to take a few steps back. Silverfinch needs her space and cannot be comfortable when there are a bunch of cats crowding her."

A gust of wind swept through the forest around them. Lostsoul, who still crouched over Silverfinch worriedly, nodded his head approvingly before they all began to back away from her. His ice blue eyes were glimmering with both annoyance and guilt; he was probably regretting his decision of allowing Silverfinch to go on patrol with them.

Silverfinch's pelt burned as another wave of pain washed over her, making her wail out into the silent air that was only broken when a bird chirped from somewhere higher up in the trees. She wrenched her claws into the ground as she burst out, "Lostsoul, the kits are coming!" Her tail thudded against the earth behind her as it lashed agitatedly. Of all days, the kits had to be come on the one day that she left camp. She had only wanted to stretch her legs and catch a piece of fresh-kill or two.

"Doveflight and Birdpaw are not going to be here in time, Lostsoul," Braveleap warned. "We are going to have to deliver her kits ourselves. Now, see that stick behind you? Give it to Silverfinch so that she can bite down on it when things start to get too painful."

Twisting his head around, Lostsoul grabbed the stick that Braveleap had pointed out and gave it to Silverfinch who almost immediately bit down on it. She bit down even harder when another spasm of pain rippled through her body and nearly snapped the stick in half.

Lostsoul growled at Braveleap, "How do you know what you are doing?"

"I was with Smokecloud when my kits were born," Braveleap snapped, behaving as if the answer should have been obvious. He crouched down beside Silverfinch before he began to press one of his forepaws down on her belly and whispered, "I'm going to apply some pressure to convince the kits to come. It is going to hurt, but you're strong; you will push through like the great warrior I know you are. When I tell you to, you're going to take a deep breath and push, okay?"

Silverfinch looked up at her brother, her body trembling with all of the agony she was in. She wondered if it would be safer to have Doveflight, who had been trained to properly deliver kits, by her side instead of Braveleap. She wanted to ask Braveleap to wait, but she was in a lot of pain and with the fall she had taken, she knew that the kits would probably not survive if she did.

Nodding, Silverfinch closed her eyes and Braveleap crouched down beside her. The dark brown tabby tom pushed his sturdy paws into her belly, making her wince. After repositioning his paws a few times, Braveleap ordered, "Now!"

Silverfinch took the deepest breath she could possibly take before she flexed her belly and let out a shrill wail. Her claws sunk into the earth underneath her as Braveleap encouraged her to steady her breath and stay strong.

After a few more deep breaths and flexes, the first kit – a small black tom – slid out onto Braveleap's paws. He bent his head down to rasp his tongue over the first kit a few times before he picked it up gently using his front teeth. He passed it to Lostsoul and ordered him to lick it to keep it warm. The slender, jet black tom grimaced at the kit at first but did what he was asked to a few heartbeats afterward.

"You're doing well," Braveleap murmured reassuringly to Silverfinch. She wanted to believe that she was, but the pain was unbearable and the first kit looked rather small. Was she doing something wrong?

Before she could answer her own thoughts, Braveleap exclaimed, "Now!" After breathing and flexing for a while more, the last two kits slipped out and were licked clean and warm. Once Braveleap was sure that there were no more kits, Lostsoul took the three of them by the scruff and placed them by Silverfinch's belly. She peered down at the three kits happily, her warm purr rumbling up from her throat. The second kit was a small black she-cat. The third kit was the smallest of the three; a black tom with a white-tipped tail.

Sweeping her tail around her kits, Silverfinch realized something. The kits were not mewing, moving, or even warm while pressed up against her belly. She had been too consumed in her own thoughts that she had not noticed that they had not even tried to suckle.

"Something's wrong, they are not breathing!" she wailed, and heartbeats later, Doveflight and Birdpaw raced out from the undergrowth that sheltered them towards her. Doveflight had a bundle of leafs dangling from her muzzle while Birdpaw grasped a thick twig in between her small jaws.

Shoving Lostsoul, Braveleap, and Hazelpaw aside, Doveflight crouched down beside Silverfinch. She pressed her paws against the kits a few times before she groomed their soft, kitten fur. After a few moments that seemed to last forever, Doveflight lifted her head to look at her sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, Silverfinch," Doveflight apologized with guilt coursing through the amber in her eyes. "I'm afraid the kits were small and weak, and when you fell, they died. There was nothing you or any cat could have done to save them."

Lostsoul leapt so that he pressed against Silverfinch to comfort her and she nuzzled him away gently. She should have known that going out on patrol with Lostsoul would not be good for her or her kits, and now, thanks to her stupidity, her kits were stillborn.

"Can Silverfinch and I be alone to mourn over our kits, please?" Lostsoul meowed to Doveflight and Braveleap who stood side by side, their heads hanging low with shame. They would not say it, but Silverfinch could tell that they thought they had failed her. All of the cats with the exception of Lostsoul and Silverfinch disappeared through the undergrowth in silence, and Lostsoul rose to his paws stiffly.

Picking up the dead kits by their scruff, he mumbled through their fur, "I cannot stand to look at them." He trotted over towards a thick bush before he set the kits down and shoved them underneath using his muzzle and forepaws. He then turned to face Silverfinch and let a threatening snarl escape his jaws.

"Lostsoul, are you okay?" Silverfinch asked him nervously when she noticed that his ice blue eyes had darkened with hatred.

"I spent all of my time making sure that you and our kits would be perfect warriors these past couple of moons, and it was all nothing but a waste!" Lostsoul growled, frustrated. "You, Silverfinch, have as much use as a dead fox, just like my mother."

Silverfinch stood up and padded towards her mate, furious. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"She failed to deliver Redstar successful kits just like you have failed to deliver me successful kits," Lostsoul explained. "You are exactly like my mother, and to be honest, I can see now why Redstar had no problem killing her." He leapt towards her with unsheathed claws before Silverfinch had any time to prepare herself for the impact.

With a ferocious yowl, Lostsoul pinned Silverfinch down with her back against the ground. He raked his hind claws across her stomach, causing her to let out a weak cry for help. Silverfinch had just painfully kitted three stillborn kits and did not have enough strength to fight off Lostsoul, who was as strong and skilled as his father.

The scent of blood lingered heavily in the air as the battle-hungry tom continued to shred at her pelt. His angry yowl continued to buzz in her ears, causing her to erupt. She kicked up her hind legs, throwing Lostsoul off from on top of her, before she waved her tail in the air to provoke him. Sure enough, the jet black tom hurtled himself towards her and jabbed her in her chest with his thorn-sharp claws.

"You will never get away with this you fox-hearted traitor!" A hot wave of aggravation flooded through Silverfinch's veins as she ran her claws along Lostsoul's flank. The jet black tom let out a snarl as he wrinkled his nose, looking as if he was trying to fight the pain he was in.

Lostsoul sunk his teeth into Silverfinch's scruff before he threw himself up onto his rear paws, shifting all of his weight so that Silverfinch hung from his jaws. He then threw all of his weight down on top of her, crushing her so that she was too stunned to move long enough for him to clamp his jaws around her throat.

Writhing and gasping for air, Silverfinch peered around, searching for the rest of her patrol. She was unable to call for help, and she was beginning to feel all of her energy draining from her. She had trained as an apprentice with Lostsoul so he knew all of her strengths and weaknesses. She did not have a single advantage over him.

Silverfinch could feel her own blood trickling from her wounds as Lostsoul held her down against the ground. She let herself go limp, realizing that there was no point in trying any more. She had let her own mate get the best of her, and now she was as much use as a dead fox. Closing her eyes, she prayed to StarClan. She told them that she would never save the Clans the way they wanted her to and that she would be with them soon.

Her thoughts were startled by a loud battle call before a blur of pale golden fur shot out from the undergrowth and launched itself at Lostsoul. The slender black-furred warrior let out a painful cry, releasing Silverfinch's scruff; allowing her to collapse at his paws and catch her breath.

"You have shown us all, Lostsoul, that loners should never be trusted," a familiar voice sounded from behind Silverfinch.

_Hawktalon!_

Rolling over, barely able to move otherwise, Silverfinch watched Hawktalon as he lunged forward for Lostsoul's throat. Lostsoul, though, leapt out of the deputy's way and made him land unevenly. The pale golden tom fell onto his side, allowing Lostsoul to pounce on top of him and pin him down.

Silverfinch attempted to scramble to her paws, but only fell back down. She let out a wail as she watched Lostsoul claw at Hawktalon's throat, blood oozing from the fresh wound. She closed her eyes once more and wondered: Will this be the end of the Clans? It could not be. One cat could never defeat four Clans in battle.

"I'm coming, Silverfinch!" Silverfinch recognized Coldscar's voice. She turned her head to see him barrelling towards them, his ice blue eyes burning like the flames of a blue fire. He leapt on top of his brother who just as quickly tossed him aside.

Lostsoul stalked towards Coldscar, growling noisily. He pounced and hooked his claws into his brother's coat, and the two of them began to tussle around in a ball of black and white fury. They yowled loudly and shouted threats that were inaudible to Silverfinch who was beginning to fade out.

The undergrowth flattened underneath them as Coldscar pinned Lostsoul down violently underneath him. He spat in his face before he sank his teeth into Lostsoul's muzzle and shook viciously. His brother let out a pain-filled yowl before he kicked his hind paws upward to knock Coldscar off. Lostsoul raced off towards the thunderpath yowling, "I will be back!" after scrabbling quickly to his paws.

"Silverfinch, what's going on?" Braveleap's voice echoed from behind a bush before he, his apprentice, Hazelpaw, and Doveflight emerged into sight. Braveleap's eyes darkened as he cast his gaze from Silverfinch, to Hawktalon, to Coldscar. Braveleap charged for Coldscar, causing Silverfinch's heart to slam painfully against her chest.

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**Author's Note:  
For those of you who I told this would be a chapter nobody would want to miss, I told you so! :p But anyway, please let me know what your thoughts are on this chapter or what you think will happen next c: Please continue to read, review, and if you haven't already, follow and favourite.  
P.S. Does anybody remember when Larkheart had a stillborn kit and Silverfinch had a feeling that she would experience something similar? Well this is where that came in c; **


	5. Chapter 4

"Braveleap, leave the poor tom alone! He looks like he's encountered a pack of foxes!" Doveflight hissed, making Braveleap skid to a sudden stop. He turned to face the medicine cat that trotted past him with a flick of her tail to check over Coldscar's wounds.

The dark brown tabby tom flexed his powerful shoulders as he padded towards Silverfinch who still lied on her belly some distance away from Doveflight and Coldscar. Braveleap's nose flared with anger and his eyes were still dark with confusion and frustration. Sitting and wrapping his thick tail around his paws, Braveleap breathed heavily and shut his eyes. He appeared to be gathering his thoughts.

Wincing as she sat up to look at her brother lovingly, Silverfinch let out a heavy sigh. She had trusted Lostsoul all her life ever since they had been kits. When she and Lostsoul had first met, she had thought that Lostsoul would attack her and the other cats in the nursery – Braveleap and Cloudwhisper – to destroy her Clan, and maybe her first instinct about him had been right. Now every day that the sun filtered into the warriors' den, she would be worried that Lostsoul would have terrorized camp and destroyed it.

After a few moments of sitting in an awkward silence, Braveleap reopened his eyes and narrowed them at her. She knew that he was furious, but not at her. Braveleap had despised of Lostsoul since Lostsoul had threatened his potential as a warrior. Braveleap had been protecting her since birth, and she had not been completely grateful to him, but now she was. Braveleap was all that she had left it seemed. Her mother was dead, her kits had been stillborn, and her mate had betrayed both her and all of TreeClan. It seemed that Braveleap was the only thing she could remain loyal to, aside from her Clan.

"Silverfinch, what happened?" Braveleap mumbled before he closed his eyes again and breathed steadily. He was acting shockingly calm, but Silverfinch knew that he was furious inside.

"After you left, Lostsoul got upset because I had failed to deliver him perfect kits. He compared me to his mother, Hazelmask, a DarkClan she-cat. She had borne Lostsoul and Coldscar, and Redstar had refused to accept them because they were not of his standards. Then, after he had told me that he understood why Redstar had had no problem killing his mother, he attacked me. He almost killed me until Hawktalon and Coldscar came to rescue me."

Glancing past her brother, Silverfinch caught sight of Doveflight turning her back on Coldscar. She watched as her old friend trotted frantically towards Hawktalon who lied limp a few paw steps away from the DarkClan warrior. His pale golden fur was ruffled and stained with both Lostsoul's blood and his own blood. His sturdy, well-muscled body did not move; not even his tail twitched. Silverfinch felt a stab of worry as Doveflight pressed cobwebs against his stiff body. Was her former mentor, who was also the TreeClan deputy, dead?

Silverfinch watched intently, flicking her ears as she tried her hardest to ignore her aching joints and wounds. She noticed that there was a sense of urgency in Doveflight's movements as she, in a panicked-like manner, shifted constantly to apply more and more herbs to Hawktalon's pelt. Her heart sank to her paws when Doveflight lifted her soft muzzle and let out a wail of mourning. The medicine cat was no longer hiding her feelings for her beloved former mate who rested before her, dead.

Braveleap stood up and turned his back on her before he trotted towards Doveflight to look at her expectantly. Once Doveflight officially announced Hawktalon's death, Braveleap helped Silverfinch to her paws and gathered them into a group.

"Birdpaw and Hazelpaw, you will help me carry Hawktalon's body back to camp. Doveflight, please help Silverfinch back to camp while keeping a stern eye on the DarkClan warrior," Braveleap quickly spat commands, using as much authority as Hawktalon would have in the same situation.

Shooting Coldscar one more cautious glare, Braveleap and the two apprentices grabbed the scruff on Hawktalon's body and began to lead them all back to camp. Just as they were about to head back up the hill, Silverfinch heard a weak mew coming from the bush where Lostsoul had tucked the kits underneath.

"Wait," Silverfinch begged them before she stumbled away from Doveflight and the others. She approached the bush quietly with pricked ears and crouched down beside it to peek underneath. Her heart leapt with joy when she heard another mew – a high-pitched cry, in fact – and noticed that the smallest of the kits was breathing and wiggling amongst its stillborn litter-mates. His thick black pelt tugged against the lower branches of the bush while his white-tipped tail wiggled clumsily behind him in annoyance.

"One of the kits, he's alive!" Silverfinch exclaimed before she snatched the kit by its scruff and set it down by her forepaws. He was incredibly tiny, even smaller than she had been as a kit. She swept her tail around her precious kit before she kicked dirt on top of her two stillborn kits using her forepaw. Then, after admiring her only living kit with Braveleap calling from behind her, she picked him up by the scruff and padded slowly back over to the rest of the group. They all were overjoyed when they saw the tiny tom wiggling uncomfortably in her jaws. He let out shrill cries, as if demanding warmth and milk. He was a persistence fur ball, Silverfinch knew that for sure.

Taking the lead once again, Braveleap, Hazelpaw, and Birdpaw climbed up the steep hill while carrying Hawktalon's body by the scruff. Their paws thundered against the earth as they dragged the sturdy former deputy's over the grass, flattening it. They weaved their way carefully around the oak trees until they finally reached the top of the hill. The sun by then had dried up most of the storm water, allowing the cats to luckily travel some-what comfortably.

The skies became dappled with white as clouds slowly began to roll in one by one, as if mourning over the recent, tragic events. A gust of strong, cool wind set their fur ruffled along their sides as they continued down the hill at a faster pace. They headed for the camp entrance that was hidden by thick, tall grass once they had reached the bottom.

Silverfinch's paws itched with anxiousness as they trotted through the tunnel that led into camp. Her kit wriggled helplessly in her jaws, and she was not so sure what she would have to do next. Without a mate alongside her to help her, the kit was not the only cat feeling helpless. Silverfinch was not so sure that she had the mindset or the courage to keep fighting for her own happiness.

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**Author's Note: So I've decided to update early since I got a bunch of nice reviews and many visitors! How do you feel about Hawktalon's death; who do you think will be the new deputy? Do you think Silverfinch will be happy ever again? Do you think the little kit will survive being so small and weak? Thank you to all those who have read up to this part so far! Please continue to read and review, and if you haven't already, be sure to favourite and follow! Have a great day everybody!**


	6. Chapter 5

Trotting through the end of the tunnel and into camp, Silverfinch was starting to feel groggy. She watched as Braveleap and the apprentices gently placed Hawktalon's body in the centre of camp with loud wails, catching the attention of every cat, while Doveflight and Coldscar made their way for Doveflight's den. She felt like she was the centre of attention now while standing by the camp entrance with her only surviving kit dangling from her muzzle.

Swiftstar crouched over Hawktalon's body with his nose pressed against his former deputy's shoulder. His normally brilliant green eyes were dull and seemed to be lost, and Silverfinch understood why. Swiftstar and Hawktalon had been incredibly close friends as warriors, but as soon as Swiftstar had become leader, their friendship had drifted. Swiftstar must have regretted what had happened between them now as he looked down at the pale golden tom's body.

"Swiftstar, it seems that Lostsoul has turned his back on us," Braveleap began to report to the TreeClan leader who quickly lifted his head to look at him with pricked ears. The two of them turned their backs on Hawktalon's body and began to head for Swiftstar's den as Braveleap started to wrap up his report in an impressive amount of time.

Settling down by the fresh-kill pile, Silverfinch nuzzled her kit closer to her belly and allowed him to suckle. His tiny size amazed her since he had been the only kit that had managed to survive. She knew that despite his proportions, though, he would become a strong warrior. She was glad that she had not kitted in the middle of leaf-bare, otherwise her miracle would have never survived the journey back to camp.

After resting for a while longer, Swiftstar approached her with his hair prickling angrily along his spine. His plummy tail was bushed up more than it usually was, making him look incredibly large. His green eyes narrowed at the tiny scrap of fur that nuzzled up against Silverfinch's belly and looked alarmed at his small size.

"Is what Braveleap tells me true? Were all of your kits but this scruff of fur stillborn because you fell from a tree?" Swiftstar's voice was rough with fur. He did not take his eyes off of her little kit.

Lowering her head in shame, Silverfinch mumbled, "Yes, Swiftstar." She swept her tail around herself to cover her kit, shielding him from Swiftstar's piercing gaze.

Swiftstar sat down and breathed slowly as he calmed himself. His head moved from side to side as he peered curiously around camp, his eyes glittering with worry. "If Lostsoul is anything like his father, Redstar as Braveleap has told me, then Lostsoul is a very dangerous cat and will do anything to get power," he meowed, changing the subject. "Braveleap reported that Lostsoul ran off towards DarkClan camp but if Redstar is smart, he will not be staying there for long. I will have to send out stronger, more frequent patrols from now on, and to do so, TreeClan needs absolutely all of its warriors."

Silverfinch blinked, confused, as Swiftstar sat in front of her, expecting a reply. Shifting her paws nervously, she cast one glance down at her small kit. His soft kitten fur brushed against hers as he wriggled around and pressed his paws against her belly. Her only son made her feel the mingled emotions of joy and regret. She had brought a kit into the forest without a father to teach him the basics of being a warrior, and what was worse? Her kit would never be able to know who his father was without knowing that he had betrayed all of TreeClan and had nearly killed his mother.

"I'm sorry, Swiftstar, I'm having difficulty understanding," she confessed after what felt to be moons of silence.

Letting out a sigh, Swiftstar lied down and tucked his paws underneath his chest. "With Lostsoul being such an unexpected threat, Silverfinch, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to return to warrior duties starting at dawn tomorrow," he explained. "There is no use in wasting a perfectly good warrior on a tiny bundle of fur that will not live to see a moon of age."

Silverfinch leapt to her paws, careful not to step on her kit, outraged. She had suffered the loss of her mate and two of her kits, and Swiftstar dared to tell her that she could not raise her only kit like a normal queen in the nursery? She wanted to spit in his face and tell him that there was no way in StarClan that she would separate herself from her only son, but understanding started to take its course in her mind. Lostsoul was a threat to her Clan, not only her kit, and Swiftstar was only doing what he thought was best.

"Who is going to take care of my kit?" she asked him, staring Swiftstar challengingly in his eyes. She respected her leader just as much as her Clanmates, but she was still concerned as to who would be taking care of her only kit.

Swiftstar sat up, compassion sparkling in his eyes. The TreeClan leader had his own kits and probably knew how hard it was to trust them in the paws of another cat, now especially more than ever since Hazelpaw's mentor had been Lostsoul.

"Foxtail moved to the nursery earlier today while you were out on patrol. She has told me that she is already producing milk," Swiftstar told her. "She will not kit for another two moons, so it will give her enough time to help your kit get stronger. When her kits are born, your kit will be able to eat fresh-kill and will only need to be watched." His brown tabby and white fur flattened as his temper seemed to cool down.

Giving in, Silverfinch dipped her head respectfully to her leader. She picked her kit up by his scrap of scruff and made her way towards the nursery. She slipped inside with a flick of her tail and claimed one of the nests next to Foxtail's. The fiery ginger tabby she-cat was resting her eyes silently, the tip of her tail twitching contently. Silverfinch wondered if the early queen was imagining herself raising her future kits - something that she would never be allowed to experience.

"How does it feel to know that you'll be kitting future TreeClan warriors?" she meowed, startling Foxtail as she set her kit down beside herself. The ginger tabby she-cat's eyes shot open with alarm, but she quickly calmed as she fixed her gaze on Silverfinch. It took her a moment, but she soon realized that she had been asked a question.

"I'm not sure," Foxtail admitted sheepishly. "I have never been the type of she-cat to get excited very easily, but I'm sure my true feelings will catch up with me when the kits are nursing at my belly."

Silverfinch let out a purr and rasped her tongue once over her kit's scrawny body. He squirmed and let out a high-pitched squeak, announcing his annoyance to all cats in the nursery. Silverfinch, embarrassed, flattened her ears against the top of her head and apologized to Foxtail, who had just been drifting off to sleep.

"That kit of yours is certainly going to be a pawful for me, is he not?" Foxtail's voice was groggy with exhaustion. Silverfinch knew just how tiring carrying kits could be, even after just the first quarter of a moon.

"Probably, but what kit is not?" Silverfinch answered, slightly offended at how Foxtail was already beginning to reject her precious son. As she looked at the senior she-cat, a question popped into her mind and slipped through her lips. "Your kits, do they have a father?"

"Of course they have a father, mouse-brain!" Foxtail hissed, lashing her tail irritably. To Silverfinch, it appeared that the fiery ginger queen's mood swings had begun.

Folding her ears back against her head, Silverfinch tried to block out her son's fearful mews. She shifted herself and lied on her side to be more comfortable before she attempted to correct her question. "I meant," she mumbled, becoming clearer as she went on, "Who is their father?"

Foxtail relaxed as she grew calmer, flashing Silverfinch an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you, Silverfinch. I'm just a bit tired." She nuzzled her barely noticeable belly with a purr, mumbling a few inaudible words. "I have decided to tell no cat about their father until they are born," she spoke up after a couple of heartbeats. "It is best that you specifically do not know."

Silverfinch's mind raced quickly, although her heart did so faster. Could Foxtail be suggesting that their father quite possibly was Lostsoul? Could Lostsoul not only have betrayed TreeClan with his loyalty, but her with his love as well? She shook the possibility away, as Foxtail would probably carry as much shame as she did with having a traitor's kits.

Ending the conversation, Silverfinch allowed Foxtail to turn her back on her to curl up to sleep. The fiery ginger tabby she-cat was almost silent with the exception of the soft wheezing that whistled from her nose. Silverfinch prayed to StarClan that the senior warrior was not falling ill.

Silverfinch's eyelids were just beginning to droop when she heard some cat calling her name from the den entrance. For a moment, panic prickled Silverfinch's pelt as a cat who she thought to be Lostsoul slipped inside with curious ice blue eyes. The expression in the icy pools quickly switched over to worry and as he came closer to her, concerned for her, Silverfinch realized that it was not Lostsoul, but his DarkClan brother.

"Why have you not gone back to your territory?" Silverfinch questioned him. It was strange to think that even Coldscar would stick around in another Clan's territory for too long. Taking precautionary action, Silverfinch flicked her tail around herself to cover her tiny son. Coldscar and Lostsoul shared blood, and it was possible that Coldscar, too, had turned on the four Clans and joined his brother to fulfil his thirst for power.

Coldscar leaned his head down to nuzzle the top of her head, and Silverfinch shrank back with a hiss. As a new mother who had been betrayed by her own mate, she was no longer sure who she could trust. She wanted to believe that she could trust Coldscar, but he had the dark blood of both Lostsoul and Redstar. The DarkClan leader had changed his ways, but only StarClan knew how long that would last or if the old brown tom would have a controlled ambition for the remainder of his life.

Letting out a sigh, Coldscar sat down in front of her with his tail wrapped tightly around his paws. Aside from the white markings on his paws and muzzle, the only thing that differentiated him from his brother was his forepaw. Lostsoul's was crooked from worsening an injury, where as Coldscar's had never broken his.

"Due to circumstances, Swiftstar has agreed to let me become a part of TreeClan. I will never be crossing the DarkClan border again." Coldscar's gaze shifted regretfully to the ground by his paws.

Leaving her kit to sleep in her temporary nest alone for only a few moments, Silverfinch padded gingerly towards Coldscar. She could not help but feel worried for him as he was the only cat that seemed to currently be on her side. She left him a soft nuzzle on his shoulder after asking him, "Has something happened?"

The former DarkClan warrior shook his head and refused to answer. He must have noticed the weariness in Silverfinch's expression, as he guided her back to her nest. "You kitted a litter of kits, fought off an unexpected enemy, and are now fending off your tiring thoughts all in one day, Silverfinch. You need rest."

"But I must stay awake!" Silverfinch argued for one reason and one reason only. Her mentor and former deputy had given up his life to save her just long enough for Coldscar to do so as well. She owed it to him to at least be awake when the next deputy was chosen to approve of whoever it may be.

"If you are tiring yourself out even more than you should just because you want to watch a ceremony, please do not," Coldscar countered with sternness to his tone. "You'll find out who will take Hawktalon's place at dawn."

Too tired to continue arguing with Coldscar, Silverfinch lied down in her nest and tucked her kit closer to her using her tail. She watched the former DarkClan warrior as he lied down on the other side of her, allowing her to rest her head on his forepaws. On a normal day where she had energy she would have pushed him away, but now she just allowed him to rest his head on her back. Darkness overtook her, taking her into a deep sleep.

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**Author's Note:  
I'm sorry it has been such a long time since I last posted, but I sort of lost interest for a while. But I encouraged/forced myself to get something done, and I did. So what do you guys think about Swiftstar's decision? Do you think Foxtail is being reasonable by already rejecting Silverfinch's kit? And who do you think got Foxtail pregnant? Please continue to read and review, and if you have not already done so, please follow and favourite both me and my story!**


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